The Ship at Dunwich

Popped in for a quick drink as we passed through the area, would have had a second drink but the bar staff completely disappeared! My husband stood at the bar for at least 10 minutes before a girl appeared and said she’d get someone- someone didn’t come. I could understand if the place was busy… there were 3 people in the entire place including us! Won’t be returning.

A really enjoyable overnight stay at The Ship for our first wedding anniversary. The bed was, I think, the most comfortable I've ever slept in! The room (Southgate) was a relatively basic 'shabby chic' style but had everything we needed for one night and was bigger than we were expecting. The bath towels were wonderfully enormous. We booked a dinner, bed and breakfast package and both meals were lovely. Drinks were reasonably priced. Couldn't get on the guest WiFi but I asked a member of staff who quickly got us logged in to an alternative. In fact all staff were helpful and pleasant. Car parking limited but we found a place on the road outside. We couldn't normally afford to stay here but we'd had a generous gift voucher which meant that it was in our price range with the balance we had to pay. I can see lots of reviews about the price of rooms and my response would be if you can afford to come then come - relax and enjoy a nice pub with rooms right next to the beach. If you can't afford it then don't come and moan about it. Anything is worth what a customer will pay and occupancy seemed good.

A mixed bag - the staff seemed great although extremely busy! Reception area was not the most welcoming, very cramped and it felt like we were getting in everyone’s way whilst waiting. The room seemed decent at first but attention to detail was lacking, remote for the tv was missing, furniture a bit shabby looking. The bed was comfy but there was a bad smell coming from the drains in the bathroom adjacent. The room upstairs was noisy and you could hear (and feel!) when they stomped about at 5am. Food was pretty good and decent value for money, but as a previous reviewer noted, none of the tables outside were cleared or wiped down. Breakfast in the morning was nice (I had the kipper) but it was missing the toast! I don’t usually like to leave negative/mixed reviews but I genuinely feel like a few of these things are easy to fix. It’s a lovely area and we loved having the beach within a 5 minute walk!

Positives: great location, very helpful, friendly staff, very clean room, comfy bed. Food: well cooked, good sized portions, speedily served. Negatives: very small cramped room, but not listed as such (Southgate, in the car park annexe). No room for comfy chair so one wooden kitchen chair provided. No view - very high window which I could only open by standing on the wooden chair. People in pub garden could see in so blinds had to be permanently drawn making the room very dark. Bathroom window had clear glass and looked out onto car park so blinds had to be permanently drawn for privacy. Information sheet said ask for a bath mat so I asked but none were available. Very overpriced for such a basic room. Poor choice of hot drinks in room - breakfast tea, coffee and chocolate. I asked for decaffeinated tea and the staff member fetched me some. Couldn’t this be placed in the room to avoid having to ask and wait in the queue? Towels smelled very strange - an unpleasant burnt smell which permeated the bathroom. Limited choice on the menu. Only one vegetarian choice which was exactly the same dish I had at the Ship last August. I didn’t enjoy it then and did not want it again. Food is overpriced. We have stayed here and at Westleton Crown many times and have seen standards fall in the last couple of years. We had decided not to return to Westleton and thought we’d give The Ship a last try. Sadly, we feel it is poor value for money and we will not return. I wonder if the Chestnut chain has become too large and focussed on profit at the expense of the customer? The staff are a real asset and the location is excellent - this pub has a lot going for it. Responses to reviews here show a willingness to engage with the customer. I hope action can be taken before the damage is too great.

Excellent customer service, very comfortable rooms, superb local food and drink. Great location. Especially enjoyed the breakfast.

Popped in for an early dinner after a swim. Sat in the garden. Multiple tables hadn’t been cleared and we had to ask to send a waitress out to do this. £20 for a very average caesar salad and £7 for a side of fries. And a service charge was added… Two caesar salads, chips and two pints of soda water and lime cost us over £60 quid. We’ve stayed at The Ship before and had a lovely time but very disappointed this time around…